Elkka, Chloe Battelle, S'aint Panic, Unruly G

Who they are

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  Elkka

  London, United Kingdom · 5 bookings since Jan 2024

  “Vibrant releases for Local Action, Ninja Tune and her own label and party, femme culture, have marked her as an unstoppable force within the London underground.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Vibrant releases for Local Action, Ninja Tune and her own label and party, femme culture, have marked her as an unstoppable force within the London underground. This recognition metabolised when she was awarded BBC’s prestigious Essential Mix of the Year in 2021, spotlighting her radiant blend of classic house, breakbeat and experimental electronica to the world over. As the next curator of DJ-Kicks, Elkka is voyaging through rave euphoria. “This is a really special moment for me because DJ-Kicks has been a formative part of my musical education,” she says. An intoxicating journey through Chicago house and disco, leftfield techno, UK bass and electro-punk, Elkka conjures up an atmosphere that is as primed for the club as it is the listener’s interior world.  Elkka’s spellbinding DJ-Kicks mix starts with a simple whispered phrase: “Attention, lovers.” As ethereal synths gently undulate out of view, the life-affirming stomp of Shade’s 1978 disco classic Music Is the Only Way (I Can Communicate) comes into sharp focus. “I use track titles to communicate feelings. Often, I can’t verbally express how I feel, but through music, I can,” Elkka smiles.  Specially-commissioned originals from artists Elkka admires inject a revitalising power into the mix. Pioneering experimental producer Herbert’s Keep Time (Nobody) is a percussive sound collage helmed by a supernatural, pitch-shifted pop vocal. “The vocals in it sound like Britney or Timbaland, who I obsessed over growing up. To have Herbert involved is like all my worlds in the naughties colliding at once.” London producer Breaka’s Like Water to a Fish deploys d’n’b breaks over a syncopated synthline, whereas Villager’s Monocyclical invokes the bursting energy of its title, acid 303 bass swirling bouncing around a driving 4/4 beat.  Elkka’s own exclusive DJ-Kicks contributions further this magpie-like approach, and uncannily ring out like sister tracks. Hands’ lead synth melody and rolling hi-hat is gloriously uplifting, summoning the euphoric physicality of its title. Body is darker, heads-down cut, its chuggy percussion eliciting movement that can only be found in the dance. “You need both sides to everything. I wanted to write music that moves you and instantly evokes feeling. I’ve never connected with music that feels sonically ‘cold’ to me. That's not to say that warmth is always joyful, either – warmth can be anything that pulls you in, making you feel a connection.” 
This sense of intimacy permeates Elkka’s DJ-Kicks mix. “You have to just trust your own feelings. That’s exactly how I do everything – making sure that my music has my DNA in it and I feel connected to it,” she asserts. This intuitive practice also embodies a message of self-acceptance and community building for the LGBTQ+ community and women, both groups that she has championed since the start of her career: the rapturous trance of Carli’s Lights & Strobes thrust us into peak-time, while Australian producer’s Surusinghe’s Bad Girls is a fast and unexpected ride through UK bass. “Women’s voices and queer voices are very important to me. They always find their way into everything I do really naturally,” she says. Above all, this is a brightly-hued universe for you to get lost in; a portrait of joy and connection, set to the heady sounds of Elkka’s making. “I wanted to make something that was euphoric and celebratory,” she beams, “of everything I love.”
  SoundCloud ↗Bandcamp ↗
  Their RA profile lists Ninja Tune, Local Action, Technicolour and Femme Culture.

  Recently at Superior Ingredients, Knockdown Center · often with Eli Escobar, CLOSED SESSIONS, D'Marquesina, none of them here that night

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  Chloe Battelle

  New York City · 47 bookings since Oct 2023

  “Brooklyn-based DJ and producer Chloe Battelle is known for blending acid, breakbeat, and techno into experimental and technical sets.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Brooklyn-based DJ and producer Chloe Battelle is known for blending acid, breakbeat, and techno into experimental and technical sets. Drawing inspiration from the raw energy of '90s rave culture and the darker fringes of the underground, her selections are gritty and hypnotic, but always underpinned by melody to encourage connection and perpetual motion. Chloe has also founded Softcore, a new party with fellow DJ Gabby Cocco. Watch out for her EP, out soon on EELF records.
  SoundCloud ↗
  House on 1 and Techno on 1. styles on their catalogued releases

  Their RA profile lists Elektroshok Records.

  Recently at Signal, Mansions, Dead Letter No. 9 · often with gabby cocco, 98dots, Kurilo, none of them here that night

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  S'aint Panic

  New York City · 72 bookings since Aug 2023

  House on 1. styles on their catalogued releases

  Their RA profile lists Nervous Records.

  Recently at Paragon, Bossa Nova Civic Club, Nowadays · often with Alissa Brianna, Will Automagic, The Carry Nation, none of them here that night

• Unruly G